"Everything’s gonna be ok. Cora’s sleeping now. Richard is staking out her door. I think he’s afraid she’ll run again. But I don’t think she will. It’s hard for her right now, but she’ll be ok." Bette sighed. "I hope so", she said, leaning in for another soft kiss. Tina obliged and wrapped her arm around Bette and pulled her close. They stayed like that and slept thru the night. Bette cried no more. Cora did not attempt to leave. And Richard stayed awake all night contemplating his next move. His final instructions from Faye.
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As it does for those who sleep sound and hard, morning came too quickly. Richard was the first to rise. That is to say he stayed up all night and was the first to make it to the coffee machine. Waking up to the smell of coffee was an uncommon phenomenon for Tina, as she was typically the first one up and responsible for making it. It was a small source of conflict, very small on the scale of things, between she and Bette. Bette insisted that the timer could handle the brewing and that Tina could stay in bed. Tina insisted that leaving the coffee grounds waiting in the filter overnight depleted them of freshness and therefore flavor. Bette shrugged it off and let Tina do as she pleased. Tina for her part, loved being the first one up in the mornings. It gave her the opportunity to loll around before the activities of the day started. The opportunity to sit and be thankful that she and Angie and Bette were a family again.
The aroma of the fresh brew found Bette’s nostrils and she instinctively reached out to check for Tina, happily surprised to find the blonde in her arms. Bette kissed her on the forehead and looked into her eyes. "Morning", she purred. Tina returned her gaze and smiled. "How’d you sleep, babe?" Bette closed her eyes and stretched. "Very well", she smiled. "Finally." But within moments the worries of the past few days caught up with her and displayed themselves on her features. First and foremost in her mind was how to help Cora. How to help her grieve. How to help her leave behind the life she’d been living. Tina read Bette’s mind. "It’ll be ok, Bette." Tina was so confident and sincere it almost made Bette a believer. She nodded and dried her moist eyes.
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They quickly showered and dressed, forgoing any romantic play for the time. As they made their way to the kitchen the sound of a quiet laughter became evident. At the breakfast table were Richard and Cora. The laughter was coming from Cora. "I can’t believe she pulled a gun on you", she giggled. Richard grinned and nodded, stifling his own laughter. "She was quite a woman, your mom." He sipped from his cup and stood as he saw Bette and Tina enter the room. Bette smiled cautiously, not wanting to spoil the good spirits of the moment. "Hi", she said.
